For the most part, the judges stole the show, first with Keith Urban wearing mullet extensions in his hair, then with him and Harry Connick Jr. performing an impromptu version of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” while drumming on the table. If the contestants could have made their performances look so effortless and enjoyable, some of them might have had better nights.

Here’s how I ranked the night’s performances:

Caleb Johnson, “Faithfully” (Journey). Johnson promised he’d sing something soft this week, so he picked this Journey ballad. Cook tells him he needs to approach it reverently, and he does, which leaves him room to soar at the end. Lopez sings along softly; Urban holds up his iPhone with its lighter app lit. Johnson ends the song bathed in white light. Crowd goes wild. Well staged. “That’s gotta make you feel pretty good,” Connick says, pointing to the crowd. Connick says he’s been waiting for a vocal that had both strength and subtlety, and he felt like he got it. For Urban, it was functional like a fannypack. Lopez says, “It’s no small task to take on Steve Perry.” Even though she felt like he was maybe outside his comfort zone in the early part of the song, “you murdered it.” Grade: A-

Alex Preston, “Every Breath You Take” (The Police). For the first time tonight, the changes one of the singers makes to the song actually play to his strengths. Preston pushes and pulls the tempo of The Police, building to a howl of anguish in the song’s bridge. It’s quiet, subdued and incredibly powerful. “It sounded like a new tune,” Connick says, but he adds that Preston needs to think more about being an entertainer instead of just a performer. Urban says Preston grabs his attention immediately when he starts singing: “It was a bold undertaking, dismantling that song and rebuilding it. … Take some more liberty with the tempo and tell us the story.” In a rare critical moment, Lopez disagrees with the guys: “I missed the melody of that song. … To change it that much, for me, really just lost the soul of the song.” Grade: A-

Jena Irene, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Joan Jett & the Blackhearts). Attempting to put her stylistic stamp on Jett’s classic, the Farmington Hills, Mich., native starts the song softly, playing minor chords at the piano. By the time she hits the chorus, though, she’s pretty much back to the guitar-heavy original, just with a darker edge. Urban admires the risk she took with the arrangement and loves Irene’s originality. Lopez thought it languished a little in the middle, “but you definitely put your stamp on it … and I did like it.” Connick wasn’t a fan of the arrangement, but he likes the way Irene pushes and twists the songs each week. Grade: B+

Jessica Meuse, “Call Me” (Blondie). Meuse continues to give some of the most polished performances of the season, fully inhabiting Debbie Harry’s role in this song. (And the pink streak in her hair is just so ‘80s.) When Meuse figures out which camera is on her, she might even be connecting with the viewers. Connick said her voice sounded great, “but you need to sing that shuffle, girlfriend. … I didn’t feel like you were really ripping that pocket up.” Urban says he’s still waiting for the rest of the release: “It’s almost there.” Lopez tells her she needs to tap into the sexy part of herself if she’s going to sing a song like that, and she didn’t. Grade: B+

Dexter Roberts, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” (Georgia Satellites). Roberts decides to show off his guitar-slinger side with this Southern-rock staple. Cook chides him beforehand for his tendency to under-enunciate, so, of course, his poor diction seems even more pronounced during his performance. When he and another guitar player walk the length of the stage together, Roberts lets the other player carry the musical load while he glad-hands the audience. Lopez thinks he owned the song for a change. Connick thinks he bought himself the opportunity to rock out with last week’s performance, and he felt it was fine. Urban tells him to kick his mic stand or do something completely unexpected when he gets overwhelmed by how much he has to remember. Grade: B

Sam Woolf, “Time After Time” (Cyndi Lauper). Woolf, who David Cook says needs to get out of his own way, sings this song standing in the middle of a group of adoring girls, yet he looks completely alone. His voice sounds great, but the changes he makes to the melody aren’t, and he just doesn’t look like he likes that people like him. “Your vocal ability’s all there,” Urban says. Lopez thought he did a great job and thinks his strength is just him and the guitar. Connick can see how hard he’s working, but he also noticed that Woolf spent the whole time looking at the camera instead of the girls. Then he tells him to go to YouTube and look up Ricky Nelson. “Something may click if you do that.” Gee, I hope so. Grade: B-

Malaya Watson, “Through the Fire” (Chaka Khan). Watson has tons of potential, but she needs more than that to pull off this song. Instead, her performance shows that Watson, who lives in Southfield, Mich., really needs another five or six years to mature into the kind of performer who could win a competition like this. Her high notes sound shrill. This could be it for her. “There’s never any doubt in your vocal ability,” Urban says, but he wants her to lay back into the song a little more instead of anticipating the big notes. Lopez tells her she needs to relax. Connick said she sacrificed some of the early part of the song to set up the big notes. Grade: C+

C.J. Harris, “Free Fallin’” (Tom Petty). I can’t figure out if C.J. just can’t quite get to the sound he’s hearing in his head or if what he’s hearing in his head just isn’t very good. I can hear good ideas in his arrangement, but the execution, for the most part, is horrendous. I want it to sound so much better than it does. “There’s never been a contestant I’ve rooted for note for note like I root for you,” Lopez says. Connick recognizes the connection he has with the song and the audience but says that he still struggles with pitch issues. For Urban, “that was a great rendition of that song. … You’ve got a survivor tone in your voice. … That’s the bit in your voice that I love.” Grade: C

And the duets

Jena Irene and Caleb Johnson, “It’s Only Love” (Bryan Adams and Tina Turner). Unlike Sam Woolf and Alex Preston, Irene and Johnson look like they’re enjoying their song, singing directly to each other. They’re not the combination that Johnson and Jessica Meuse were last week, but they’re not bad. Of course, Connick completely stole the show by going into the audience and putting a young girl on his shoulders, then returning to the judges’ table with her still there. Grade: B

Dexter Roberts and Jessica Meuse, “Islands in the Stream” (Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton). Roberts looks extremely uncomfortable inside this song’s easygoing pop-soul groove, but Meuse settles right into it. And while Roberts tries to sing the song straight to Meuse, she’s focused on the audience and the cameras, creating a big emotional disconnect. With some more practice — say, a few weeks during the tour — this could turn into a really nice moment. But it’s not there yet. Grade: B-

Malaya Watson and C.J. Harris, “I Knew You Were Waiting” (Aretha Franklin and George Michael). Boy, here’s two singers who couldn’t have more different approaches to singing. Harris lays back, totally relaxed, while Watson’s always ready to jump right into the middle of the song with both feet. Their voices blend nicely, though, so when they harmonize, there’s chemistry than one might expect. Lopez thinks they’re adorable together, but Connick thought it was more “regional theater than powerful entertainment.” Grade: B-

Alex Preston and Sam Woolf, “The Girl Is Mine” (Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney). Having the season’s two heartthrobs sing this song is kind of cute, in concept, and their voices blend nicely. But there’s absolutely none of the interaction or chemistry the original had. Instead of sounding playful, it comes across as dull. Grade: C